Joyce Banda to construct Chiromo Bridge

President Joyce Banda has pledged a state-of-the-art Chiromo Bridge in Nsanje which would ease mobility challenges faced by people travelling between Thyolo on the one hand and Nsanje and Chikhwawa on the other end.
People were forced to use local dugout canoes when crossing the place which was also known as Mtayamoyo ( death trap) since the main bridge was washed away in the 1990s.
Speaking during a political meeting after officially opening a temporary bridge, President Banda said time has come for rural people to be provided with modern infrastructure projects including bridges.

President Joyce Banda samples Ntayamoyo bridge at Chiromo in Nsanje. The place had no bridge for 17 years

She expressed sadness over loss of lives through drowning as people tried to cross the river.
“It is painful that people in the area were dying due to lack of the bridge which would have been constructed some years back by the previous two regimes”
“I felt sad to meet a mother who complained to me that she lost her son who was a bread winner for the family after drowning at the place” Banda bemoaned.
Banda also challenged politicians to make use of the country’s abundant human resource to benefit rural communities across the country.
“I instructed the army to immediately erect a temporary bridge here at Chiromo as government would be constructing a state-of-the-art bridge using financial resources from the Japanese government.”
“Let’s make use of our sons and daughters who have various skills to bring a real transformation amongst the rural communities like the construction of a bridge here which would greatly significantly improve mobility amongst people in Thyolo, Nsanje and Chikwawa.”
She therefore disclosed that government is currently in discussion with the Japanese government on the construction of the bridge.
During the meeting President Banda also vowed that she would continue implementing development programmes targeting the rural areas across the country.
This comes against the recent condemnation by the opposition political leaders and civil society leaders who are questioning her continued visit to various rural areas where she is implementing social projects targeting poor households.
And speaking during a political meeting in Nsanje, President Banda disclosed that she would continue visiting rural areas to appreciate the challenges rural people are facing.
Speaking earlier, senior chief Lundu commended President Banda for the construction of Chiromo Bridge which was washed away some seventeen years ago.
“It has taken you two years to construct the bridge which others failed to do when they were in power. This makes you so unique as you are able to appreciate the challenges that rural people are facing in their day to day lives. This makes you deserve another five year mandate so that you would be able to develop this country.”
Meanwhile, senior chief Lundu has donated her old house to government to be used as a health centre for the area.
His new house according to Minister of Lands and housing Henry Phoya has been constructed by government through the Malawi Housing Corporation and Illovo Sugar Company.

President Joyce Banda Makes Rural Electrification Her Undying Mission

President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr. Joyce Banda when she took office in April 2012 made rural electrification as her undying mission to development.

President Dr. Joyce Banda has always emphasized in most of her speeches that rural electrification is a key to economic development of the country.

This undying mission of rural electrification in Malawi made President and the Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to officially switch on the Kambwiri Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP) Phase 7 in Salima.

President Dr. Joyce Banda in the official switch on ceremony said more employment opportunities would be created through the rural electrification as factories and businesses will be established in the rural areas where the large population is located.

“The importance of rural electrification and the switch on ceremony of Kambwiri Trading Centre in particular, cannot be overemphasized. This electricity is going to attract industries that will provide jobs to the people,” she said.

She also mentioned projects such as Malawi Mango Project, Greenbelt Project and Tourism Project as some of the on-going projects that required electricity.

“Malawi has been facing challenges in the energy sector. This has hindered development, however, my Government has prioritized the energy sector to transform our rural areas whereby transforming the lives of our people as well,” Banda added.

The Malawi vibrant leader further said MAREP would help to empower the girl child to concentrate on education.

“This project will help alleviate some of the social ills. It will help the girl child to study any time of the day. In addition, the girl child will be eased from the burden of going around in the bushes collecting firewood,” Banda said.

She said that the recent survey had established that only nine percent of Malawi population has access to electricity and most people rely on firewood and charcoal for cooking.

In her speech, President Sirleaf over the official switch on ceremony when she visited Malawi said she came to honor a person whose honor was greatly deserved.

She said President Banda is one of the leaders that were working hard to make Africa a better place to live in.

“I will carry what President Banda has done to uplift her country and what she has done in women empowerment when I will be returning back to Liberia,” said Sirleaf.

She said Banda became a leader because she worked hard, saying it was not because of her beautiful looks, beautiful style of dressing or someone else’s favour’s.

Traditional Authority Kambwiri said he was grateful for the electricity in his area.

“This was the time first such a project was being launched in my area. This shows the love that President Dr. Joyce Banda has for us,” he said.

Kambwiri, who gave two goats to the two Presidents asked for the extension of the electricity project to cover the remaining villages in his area.

Meanwhile, MAREP phase seven will see electricity being switched on in 27 Trading Centre’s across Malawi.

Chief Justice Richard Banda given Olympic’s top award

Chief Justice Richard Banda given Olympic’s top award

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) which is the world’s biggest sports controlling body has awarded Malawi’s First Gentleman, retired Chief Justice Richard Banda a “150th anniversary of Pierre de Coubertin sport as a school of life” trophy. Banda, who is an honorary MOC member, received the top award on Tuesday at Kamuzu Palace in recognition of his contribution to domestic sports for over 30 years as a former runner, footballer and MOC chairperson. Presented on annual basis, the Pierre de Coubertin Award is given to individuals demonstrating values that are consistent with the Olympic Movement. It is named after French national Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of modern Olympic Games. At the 150 Anniversary of the birth of the founder of modern Olympics,

 it has pleased the Malawi Olympic Committee (Moc) through the IOC to recognize the efforts done by Malawi’s First Gentleman in promoting the Olympic Movement. The retired Chief Justice, who is an honorary member for the national Olympic committee served in the Moc board- then Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association of Malawi (Ocgam) for about 16 years. After his association with Ocgam as well as other IOC organs both at continental and global level, he has been offering financial assistance to the Moc and other local sports bodies including boxing. Moc vice president Flora Mwandira presented the award on behalf of the Olympic body in the presence of other executive board members.

Apart from the Baron Coubertin award, Banda was also presented with the Olympic Wreath in commemoration of the just ended Mini “Olympic” Games in Lilongwe. All this, according to Moc is in recognition of his constant contribution, support and development of the Olympic Movement in Malawi. During the function, the First Gentleman made a personal donation of MK1 million towards the just-ended Mini “Olympic” Games. Mwandira expressed her committee’s gratitude for the gesture from the First Gentleman, describing the donation as timely. She said the money would go a long way in offsetting some expenses incurred during the games. Banda reportedly expressed his appreciation for the awards and recognition, saying he was humbled by the developments.

Anjimile Mtila Oponyo

Anjimile Mtila Oponyo

Anjimile Mtila-Oponyo is a Malawian development worker and education administrator. She has worked in education administration for the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the United Nations Development Program where she built schools in Lebanon.She received international attention when she was selected as CEO and head of the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls in Malawi. She is currently a principal secretary in the Ministry of Education in Malawi.

She is a graduate of George Washington University, where she received her Master's in Education and took her sabbatical at Harvard Business School. Oponyo was the CEO of the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls until the project was cancelled due to lack of progress and mismanagement of funds. She is currently a civil servant working with the Malawi government.
Raising Malawi Academy for Girls

Once the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls (RMAG) project was terminated, a report was published that placed blame on Oponyo and Philippe Van Den Bossch, boyfriend of Madonna's former trainer. The report was created by philanthropic consulting firm Global Philanthropy Group, hired by the board of directors of Raising Malawi in November 2010 to help the organization restructure its strategy and approach.[6] The report implied that Oponyo and Van Den Bossch had acted outside their contracted roles. The report accused her of “outlandish expenditures”, including getting a "high salary, a car, housing, and a golf-club membership", all which were included in her contract by Madonna's aides.
Legal suit

Eight staff members of RMAG, including Oponyo, lodged the action with lawyer Charles Mpaka at the end of March 2011, claiming they were let go without proper termination procedures. The staff claims that they were being forced to sign a discriminatory termination agreement which was "unfair and unconstitutional" and included a 'confidentiality agreement' which prevents them from defending themselves against defamation and libel. Madonna's lawyer, Davis Njobvu, argued to the court that RMI was a registered trust in the United States and only provided funds for the construction and that there were no contracts signed between Raising Malawi, Inc. (RMI) and the former staff members. A Malawi court dismissed a legal action by Madonna to prevent her charity project from being sued by former employees for unfair dismissal and non-payment of benefits.All of the former RMAG staff members, except for Oponyo, have since settled with RMI.

Raising Malawi now supports education projects in Malawi through constructing community-based schools in the Kasungu District and by supporting scholarships for girls in secondary school. Madonna's visit to Malawi in April 2013 to see these schools was soured by a war of words. While Madonna stated publicly that she remained committed to the children of Malawi The government of Malawi, headed by President Joyce Banda, sister of Anjimile Mtila-Oponyo accused Madonna of lying and blackmail. Trevor Neilson, whose Global Philanthropy Group is managing Madonna's projects in Malawi, asserted that "The President of Malawi appears to be using her office to pursue the financial interests of her family."A year earlier in April 2012, at the Macy's Herald Square launch of her new fragrance Truth or Dare by Madonnain New York, Madonna said she's happy that Malawi's former vice president is now leading the country.
Personal life

Oponyo has six children.She is married to Patrick Oponyo. She is sister to the president of Malawi, Joyce Banda, who is the founder of the development and education Joyce Banda Foundation. She is sister-in-law to barrister, judge and former Malawi Chief Justice, Richard Banda.

Anjimile Mtila Oponyo to Introduce New Secondary School Curriculum Next Year

Source: Malawi News Agency
Zomba

The Final Secondary School Curriculum and Assessment Review (SSCAR) Consultative meeting with University Deans from all Universities and Colleges in the country was held in Zomba to ratify, modify and put recommendations before its implementation next year.

Principal Secretary for Basic and Secondary Education in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Anjimile Mtila Oponyo said the meeting organized to consult the Deans from various Universities had come at the right time to make sure their contributions are included to add value to the curriculum.

Dr. Oponyo explained her ministry had consulted widely from Chitipa to Nsanje meeting heads of schools to seek their views to make the syllabus accepted as a national programme aimed at tackling the needs of the country for social, political and economic development.

Asked on what has been the major change in the proposed new syllabus, the Education PS said: "Language (Chichewa and English) teaching will be a combination of language and literature as one subject."

Dr. Oponyo further said Physical Science has been split into Physics and Chemistry from forms 1 to 4 adding emerging issues such as climate change, disaster risk management, gender, information and communication technology (ICT) were among others included.
She said her ministry found it necessary to consult the university experts to contribute on the curriculum change especially to look into the transitional part from the secondary education to university section.

The principal secretary also said her ministry is intending to put forward a recommendation to parliament to consider abolishing the Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) saying the examination at the moment has no meaning because the standard formal education for employment has been raised to the Malawi School
Certificate of Education (MSCE).

However, Dr. Oponyo was quick to say the matter needed wide consultation with all sections of people to reach at a collective decision adding her ministry had no final say on the matter.

"The current situation is that even if people get the Junior Certificate, they cannot be employed. Therefore the certificate has lost its value. Should we continue spending on preparing this examination and issuing the certificates that will never be used? It's for all of us to decide," she said.
Malawi Institute of Education (MIE) Director Dr. William Susuwele said the new secondary school syllabus has taken into account, among other things, citizenship, economic development, environmental management, occupational, entrepreneurial, practical, scientific and technological skills.

He said according to the calendar in September 2014 the form 1 students will start the new syllabus then forms 2, 3, and 4 in September 2015, September 2016 and September 2017 respectively.

Dr. Susuwele said as a center of curriculum development, they decided to consult the Deans of Universities to make the syllabus rich and designed for the smooth transition from secondary school level to university or college level.

A cross section of participants from Chancellor College, Mzuzu University, Kamuzu College of Nursing, Health sciences, Catholic University, Seventh Day Adventist University, University of Livingstonia, Polytechnic and Domasi College among others, attended the meeting.